Delhi gets a taste of lanes for Games

On a trial basis, the traffic police demarcated a stretch of the Lodhi Road in south Delhi as reserved for Commonwealth Games.

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Kumar Vikram

New Delhi

August 23, 2010

UPDATED: August 23, 2010 14:14 IST

Delhiites on Sunday got a taste of the traffic restrictions to be in effect during the Commonwealth Games. On a trial basis, the traffic police demarcated a stretch of the Lodhi Road in south Delhi as reserved for Commonwealth Games.

The lane on the right - between the Aurobindo Marg crossing and Oberoi crossing - was blocked to regular traffic.

Traffic police officers said Lodhi Road was chosen for the trial as it is located near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, one of the main Games venues. The trial, they said, did not affect the movement of vehicles as traffic was low on the road, especially on Sundays.

Traffic policemen were deployed all along the road to restrict vehicles to one lane.

All rights reserved: The traffic police demarcate a lane on Lodhi road during a trial run on Sunday. The exclusive lane will be used for ferrying Games athletes and officials.

"Being the first day of the trial, we had to guide people. Some were confused while taking right turns as it meant they had to cross the reserved lane," a traffic policeman said.

Bollards were removed at some points to ease vehicular movement.

Ajay Chadha, special commissioner (traffic) said the police did not issue challans to commuters who drove on reserved lanes on Sunday, as the people were not completely aware of the restrictions. In a few days the police will start issuing challans for such violations, he said.

It has been proposed to levy a fine of 2,000 for reserved lane-related traffic violations. The government is yet to approve the plan, though.

"We have proposed huge fines so that it acts as a deterrent," a senior traffic police officer said.

"Only half the space on the road is available for the motorists and it will cause a problem on weekdays," said Vineet Khosla, a resident of south Delhi who regularly takes the road.

"Lodhi Road is not used heavily by the people but other roads in New Delhi and South Delhi, such as the Ring Road, Aurobindo Marg and Safdarjung Road, will feel the space crunch," he added.

The lane reservation will come into effect on nearly 200 km of roads in the city before the Games. The Games exclusive routes lead from the airport to the Games village in east Delhi, and from the village to the venues.

A senior traffic police officer said about 600 personnel would join the Delhi Traffic police soon to help manage vehicular movement. In addition to this, more than 1,000 volunteers will assist the force.

The officer, however, has advised commuters to avoid some stretches in south Delhi as they are likely to be congested during the Games.

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